Porcelain Doll
by On2Oblivion
Summary: A union is formed in a desperate attempt to save a kingdom. However, the prince and his brother have both fallen for the heiress. Gaakankuhina love triangle; end Gaahina
1. Chapter 1

** I've been meaning to make a love triangle story for a while now, and I think one of the more rare and interesting ones would be that of Hinata, Kankuro, and Gaara. This is only a preface for the story; the style of writing will somewhat differ from this beginning due to dialogue and such. Take into account that is **_**not**_** a threesome, but a love triangle. This will end in Gaahina, and depending on whether or not anybody requests it, it might have an alternate ending of Kankuhina.**

Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

_--_

_ His callused fingers danced as if possessed, weak strings of chakra glowing blue in the evening light. Puppets the size of an unclenched fist walked across the wooden platform the boy had set up; the surface smooth and cold. His dark brown eyes followed the movements of his delicate figures, a small ghost of a smile alight on his tanned skin. In his left hand, a puppet prince kneeled before the companion puppet in his right hand, a wooden princess. With a mere twitch of his fingers, the prince stood and took the girl's small hand in his own. _

_He gave a sigh, which quickly morphed into a harsh, dry cough that racked his body and caused his chakra to flit away and his puppets to slump over with a thud. He continued to cough for a minute before it subsided, leaving him breathless and clutching his chest. With an angry swipe, the puppets fell to the dirt floor, the prince's head cracking open._

_--_

She was said to be a delicate beauty, with skin the color and texture of a porcelain doll and eyes the shade of lilacs. The arrival of the heiress was to be in a mere three days, and the whole kingdom of Suna was abuzz with whispered utterances of the marriage. The prince of Suna, Sabaku no Kankuro, was to marry Hyugga Hinata from the far off lands of Konohagakure. Suna's people should have been celebrating, praising their desert gods for the blessing of the prosperous union, but instead dark rumors were uttered upon the streets. The firstborn prince of the desert, Kankuro, had fallen under illness and many thought to the brink of death. For years, their prince had suffered under a rare ailment of which none could find a cure. He was often coughing to the point of spitting blood, and he was confined to the sanctity of the castle; the desert wind only seemed to worsen his condition.

The hope of the people was that he would bear a son before he succumbed to his illness, and only until the council had found a suitable wife; the people had been distraught with worry. The Kazekage of Suna had two other children, but they could hardly be considered suitable leaders. The mere thought of having a woman as Kazekage was a disgusting and disturbing thought enough, but they're other choice could have been far worse.

Besides his son Kankuro and his second-born Temari, the Kazekage had another 'son' as well. The whole of the world had heard the tale of the Kazekage and his bastard son; Sabaku no Gaara.

The Kazekage's marriage had been, like most, arranged by his father. He was wed to Karrura, the daughter of a well-respected Suna noble and their union could be called less than satisfactory. She had attempted to run away from the Kazekage a total number of five times before he held her down and raped her, getting her pregnant with Kankuro. As much as she hated the Kazekage, she would not put the welfare of her child in danger and so remained at his side, giving birth to the future of Suna. A couple of years later, Temari was born. This again was welcomed with open arms. The Kazekage was pleased, he had a son of which to raise as king and a daughter to marry off if the need arose. The people were given a prince and a princess they could adore and praise. The only person unhappy was Karrura. She loved her children with all her heart, but she had fallen for the captain of the Suna Anbu that her husband had assigned to watch her. Their affair had remained secret for a couple of years, and when Karrura became pregnant for the third time, the Kazekage was aware of nothing. When came the day of the actual birth, he flew into a rage. The child was born with a head full of red hair and eyes the color of the ocean. The only person with attributes such as that was his beloved, _loyal _captain. With his own hands, he strangled his wife and executed his captain. The child lay silent, forgotten in his wrath, and when at last the Kazekage had calmed he took the child into his care, for a reason no person could claim to know.

The streets of Suna were abuzz with whispered utterances of the marriage. The prince of Suna, Sabaku no Kankuro, was to marry Hyugga Hinata from the far off lands of Konohagakure. Suna's people should have been celebrating, praising their desert gods for the blessing of a prosperous union, but they did not. If Kankuro and Hinata did not produce an heir, if Kankuro were to die, then what would become of Suna? Who would they choose to lead? Choosing a woman was out of the question. The bastard child would be rejected by his people. Their fate rested solely on this foreign girl with porcelain skin and eyes the color of lilacs.

**Comments/criticism are welcome. This is only a preface just to see if anyone is interested. **


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hello -waves-**_

_**I finally finished the next installment, and I'm pleased that some people found interest in this story I wanted to thank you for the encouragement and explain before hand a little of the back story so that is isn't too confusing. **_

_**The Hyugga's are one of the highest nobles/clan in the kingdom of Konoha. Konoha is separated into clans and therefore is not united, per say, under a Hokage. Suna is a united kingdom who often does business with Konoha.**_

Uchiha Fugaku leaned forward, his black eyes flashing. In the shadowed room, the candlelight cast his frightful, angry features in an even more terrifying grimace.

"Hiashi-sama, you are going back on your word?"

The man in question gazed calmly back at Lord Uchiha, though there remained a hint of malice in his stare.

"I am afraid, Fugaku-sama, that another, more profitable offer has been made for the hand of my eldest daughter. Perhaps, you may consider that I have another daughter of equal value."

Fugaku's fist slammed against the stone table, and a number of small cracks became visible in it's marble surface.

"We had an agreement, Hyugga." Neither made a move to show that the name change had gone unheard. "Your eldest was promised to Sasuke before she was even born. To go against our pact now will not bode well with the Uchiha council."

Hiashi withdrew from his robe a scroll, bearing both the Hyugga and Uchiha seal upon it. In one quick motion, it was torn in half and dropped to the floor between them. Standing up, he looked down with apparent disgust at the Uchiha.

"I shall do what is best for my clan, Uchiha. And unfortunately for you, Suna paid a higher price."

Fugaku stood also, fists clenched at his side.

"You have made a fatal mistake, Hyugga. One that you and your daughters will live to regret."

With that declaration, Uchiha Fugaku withdrew from the chamber, leaving Hiashi to ponder at his words. Raising a hand to his forehead, he sighed, letting his eyes close. He had made the right decision, he was sure in that. But the Uchiha remained a malicious shadow in the back of his mind.

Neji Hyugga gazed with brotherly tenderness at his cousin, now his assigned ward. Her hair was an ebony black no other could rival, and in the sunlight it glowed an indigo tint. Her pale skin, a trademark trait of the Hyugga clan, bore not one scratch or scar. She rose from the garden bench and looked up at her elder cousin in surprised delight, a small smile gracing her face.

"N-Neji-niisan, you're back from border watch!"

She ran forward to embrace him but only succeeded to trip over her violet kimono and fell gracelessly into his arms. He couldn't help but smirk and ruffle her hair, to which she gave a mewl of protest.

"Neji, stop that!!"

He laughed then, and led her back to the bench so that they may both sit. She grasped his hand lightly as he began to speak.

"I just got back. We managed to apprehend a group of bandits, and we had no casualties." He gazed at the flowers for a moment, his mind drifting as he recalled the past several weeks. A timid touch immediately turned his focus back to his cousin.

"D-did you see Ten-Ten yet?"

At this Neji's brow furrowed, and he gave her a confused look.

"Why would I do that first?"

"N-never mind."

Hinata sighed and shook her head. Her cousin was considered the genius of the Hyugga knights, but when it came to Ten-Ten he was utterly clueless. Already he had gained status that was equal to his father before he had died. At the age of nineteen, he was known for miles around of his intelligence and valor. He was the best fighter that Lord Hiashi had in his arsenal, and it would probably stay that way. But he was oblivious whenever Hinata subtly mentioned the weapon's mistress Ten-Ten. One time Ten-Ten had confided in her that she was fond of Neji, and since then the heiress had delicately tried to encourage Neji to visit her every so often.

"I'll see her after I'm finished talking with you," he said and then looked around before giving a conspirator smirk, "but first things first, tonight are you up for another practice session?"

Ever since they were children they had been together, and once Neji had been taken in for training, they had rarely seen each other. Under the cover of night, Neji stole his cousin out of her room and took her to the courtyard to, as most young men do, show off what he had learned. Hinata delighted in watching him manipulate his chakra into his fists and the strong stance that he took to make each strike. After watching her cousin do this for many nights, she begged him to teach her all he knew. And so, whenever the opportunity arose, Neji would practice with her.

Hinata put her hands together and bowed.

"A-arigato Neji-niisan!! Yes, let's practice tonight!!"

He smiled and raised her head, causing Hinata to give a small blush. Looking down at her, he gazed at the wide, lilac eyes so similar and yet so different from his own. His timid, lovely cousin could be quite aggressive once roused to a fight. But as always, she reverted back to her shy self. Which was probably why so many loved her and cared for her. If he was not mistaken, his two companion knights Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame had also taken a liking for the heiress as well. While Neji was away, they would keep her company. Kiba would take her around outside, but never past the walls, and Shino would lend a hand in her miniature garden.

He gently dropped his hand from her chin and stood.

"I suppose I'll visit Ten-Ten now, seeing as how I have the next couple of days free and-"

He stopped and turned, and from the garden gates Shino quickly approached. Seeing that Neji was there also, he gave a slight nod of acknowledgment before bowing to Hinata.

"Your father requires you in the royal chambers, Hinata-sama. It is of utmost importance."

Neji's eyes narrowed slightly and Hinata gave a look of surprise.

"F-father w-wants me..?"

"Come, he seems somewhat….uneasy. It's best not to keep him waiting."

Hinata nodded and gave a small bow to Neji before taking Shino's arm and leaving the garden and her now troubled cousin. Father…wanted to speak to her? Since when had he ever really wanted her, unless it was for a formal occasion or something like that. But even then, he would usually send Ino-chan with the message. To call Shino-kun forth as a messenger was, unusual, to say the least.

Looking up at the stoic young man, she asked, "D-did he mention what it was t-that he needed me for?"

Without breaking the brisk pace he had set for them, he replied, "No. Only that it was urgent and that it was of utmost importance." With that, he became silent, but Hinata could feel, more than see, that her friend was apprehensive.

Neji was tempted to follow them, but he decided that his uncle would not be pleased if he did. Hiashi was a cold, distant man who was known for his strict demeanor and his determination to uphold the Hyugga name. He was not always so unapproachable, but with the death of his beloved wife and the murder of his younger brother, he became the detached man he was today. If not for him, Neji would have had nowhere else to go. To spy on Hinata and Hiashi's meeting would be like a slap in the face.

The knight sighed and he too left the garden, deciding he may as well go seek out Ten-Ten's company. Tonight he'd escape to Hinata's room and see exactly what his uncle wanted.

At the door, Shino placed a comforting hand on Hinata's shoulder before bowing and returning to his post. Hinata nervously watched his retreat before looking back to the door in front of her. Berating herself for her nervousness, she stopped poking her fingers together and instead clung to them to the insides of her sleeves.

"Enter, Hinata."

At his voice, she jumped and quickly pushed open the screen. They were in one of her father's many council rooms, mostly used for when foreign diplomats came to discuss treaties and whatnot. Her father was sitting on a velvet white mat, and his hands were placed neatly on his lap. Hinata gulped and took a tentative step forward.

"Sit."

She gave a quick nod before hurrying to sit before him, head bowed to a degree and hands placed respectfully before her.

"O-ohayou Oto-sama."

"Hn."

Hinata's shoulders tensed and so, trembling, she placed her hands in her lap, raising her head to look up at her father. Their violet eyes locked gazes with each other, and Hinata deftly went back to examining the border of the mat they were sitting on. Again she resisted the urge to twiddle with her fingers and instead remained silent, waiting for him to speak.

"You remember what I have told you of Suna, correct?"

Hinata gave a quick nod.

"Four days ago received a request from Suna that I have contemplated severely."

Hinata nodded again. Biting her lip, she wondered why Suna had anything to do with her. What she remembered was that it was a desert kingdom of which Konoha, specifically the Hyugga nobles, traded with daily.

"Suna's prince has asked for your hand in marriage, and you have accepted his proposal."

She gasped and looked up at her father, shocked. To be married? She was to marry someone she had never met? But-

Before she could continue her jumbled and shocked train of thought, he continued.

"They have offered a large sum of money in return, and with the bad crop the past two years, I have decided this would be a comfortable exchange. Tomorrow you leave for Suna with the traditional Hyugga wedding garb and five other outfits. They wish to have the wedding as quick as possible. We will send an envoy after you with the rest of your things. It will take a few days longer to reach Suna, so pick carefully what you wish to wear. I don't want them regretting their choice in a wife."

Hinata couldn't stop trembling. Her father's words seemed muffled, as though she was hearing him with her hands over her ears. She was to marry someone in three days? Some foreign prince that she has never met? Had she no choice in the matter? What….how could her father do this?

They stood in silence for a seemingly endless amount of time, Hiashi observing the fear and confusion in his daughter's eyes, Hinata desperately trying to tame the tremors that shook her small body.

"You are dismissed."

That being said, Hinata scrambled off her knees and ran to the door, tripping over her feet and stumbling out of the room. Hiashi had seen the sheen of tears that now covered her face, the way she disregarded the proper acts of conduct to escape the room as quickly as possible. He clenched his fists tightly. His daughter would not behave as such at Suna. They needed that money, and he was willing to sacrifice his eldest for the greater good of his people.

**Not a very exciting chapter, but I wanted to establish the relationship between Neji, Hinata, and Hiashi before I ship her off to Suna lol. To make a dramatic plot twist, it turns out Hinata was engaged to Sasuke before she was even born, and the Uchiha's will become play a more dramatic role a little while after Hinata gets settled in the desert. Hinata is unaware of this fact. You won't be seeing them anymore until much later, but don't forget about them. **

**I'm wondering if I should increase the size of my chapters. This was only three pages on Microsoft Works Processor. What do you think?**

**Comments/Criticism are welcome.**


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